Distributed multi-datacenter video packaging system

ABSTRACT

A content streaming system and methodology for facilitating the management of content streaming. A video packaging and origination service requests streaming content that is organized according to content segments. Individual content segments will be encoded according to a plurality of encoding profiles and received at different ingress nodes within video packaging and origination service. The video packaging and origination service utilizes deterministic data generated by the different ingress nodes to determine when receipt of individual content segments is complete.

BACKGROUND

Generally described, computing devices and communication networks can beutilized to exchange data and/or information. In a common application, acomputing device can request content from another computing device viathe communication network. For example, a user at a personal computingdevice can utilize a browser application to request a content page(e.g., a network page, a Web page, etc.) from a server computing devicevia the network (e.g., the Internet). In such embodiments, the usercomputing device can be referred to as a client computing device and theserver computing device can be referred to as a content provider.

Content providers provide requested content to client computing devicesoften with consideration of efficient transmission of the requestedcontent to the client computing device and/or consideration of a costassociated with the transmission of the content. For larger scaleimplementations, a content provider may receive content requests from ahigh volume of client computing devices which can place a strain on thecontent provider's computing resources. Additionally, the contentrequested by the client computing devices may have a number ofcomponents, which can further place additional strain on the contentprovider's computing resources.

Some content providers attempt to facilitate the delivery of requestedcontent through the utilization of a content delivery network (“CDN”)service provider. As with content providers, CDN service providers alsoprovide requested content to client computing devices often withconsideration of efficient transmission of the requested content to theclient computing device and/or consideration of a cost associated withthe transmission of the content. Accordingly, CDN service providersoften consider factors such as latency of delivery of requested contentin order to meet service level agreements or the quality of deliveryservice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Throughout the drawings, reference numbers may be re-used to indicatecorrespondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided toillustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended tolimit the scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a content delivery environment thatincludes one or more user devices, a video packaging and originationservice and an original content provider according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of illustrative components of a user computingdevice configured to remotely process content in accordance with anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of illustrative components of an encodercomponent configured to generate encoded content according tosynchronization information in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of illustrative components of an ingress nodeconfigured to manage multiple encoder content streams in accordance withan illustrative embodiment

FIGS. 5A-5B are block diagrams of the content delivery environment ofFIG. 1 illustrating the interaction related to video packing andorigination service for obtaining encoded content for delivery to userdevices; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrative of a content processing routineimplemented by a video packaging and origination service.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally described, content providers can provide content to requestingusers. With regard to video content, a content provider can implement avideo packaging and origination service that is able to deliver videocontent to requesting users. Illustratively, a video packaging andorigination service indexes a collection of source video content (eitherlive streaming or file-based video-on-demand) and delivers it to clientsvia a wide range of communication protocols such as HTTP Live Streaming(“HLS”), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (“DASH”), HTTP DynamicStreaming (“HDS”), Real Time Messaging Protocol (“RTMP”), SmoothStreaming, and the like. Based on consumer demand, a video packaging andorigination service can also provide advanced video transmissionfeatures such as just-in-time packaging of video content, digital rightsmanagement (“DRM”) encryption, time-shifting, bitrate selection, catchup TV, and more.

To deliver content, content providers can organize requested content,such as a video file, into multiple segments that are then transmittedto requesting devices segment by segment. For example, in a videostream, each segment typically accounts for 2-10 seconds of videorendered on a receiving device. To provide content to the videopackaging and origination service, individual content segments can beencoded by an encoder and transmitted to the video and originationservice. Traditionally, a single processing node on the video packagingand origination service can receive an incoming stream of encodedsegments and then transmit the stream to requesting user devices.

Video segments can be encoded according to a defined bitrate and format,which generally defines the number of bits of data that are encoded overa measured amount of time and the specific software algorithm andresulting content representation format utilized to encode the data fortransmission. For video files, bitrates are typically measured accordingto how many kilobits or megabits of data are processed over a second oftime. By way of example, a data file that corresponds to 1 megabyte ofvideo data encoded in one second would be considered to have an encodingbitrate of 8 mbps (e.g., 8 megabits per second) while a lower definitionvideo file that corresponds to 45 kilobytes of video data processed inone second would be considered to have an encoding bitrate of 360 kbps(e.g., 360 kilobits per second).

In some embodiments, it may be possible for the content provider tofacilitate variable bit rate encoding to enable for variances in theencoding bitrates of individual segments of a video file. In suchembodiments, the content provider can generate multiple encoded bitrateversions or combinations of encoded bitrates and formats of individualvideo file segments. The content provider can then make at least asubset of the multiple bitrate encoded versions available to clientsresponsive to a request for a particular encoded bitrate version andformat. Generally, a content provider can generate a catalog identifyingthe video segments and encoded bitrates for each identified videosegment. The catalog can be written into a manifest file that isprovided to individual client computing devices that have requested thevideo file. Thereafter, once all the versions of an encoded segment arereceived by the packaging and origination service, the packaging andorigination service is available to receive and process requests forencoded content. More specifically, client computing devices, through arespective software application, can request individual video segmentsaccording to the available encoded bitrates and formats as published inthe manifest file.

To receive content, a client computing device can simply request contenthaving a fixed encoding rate or have a fixed encoding rate selected inresponse to a streaming content request. Such a fixed encoding rateapproach can be deficient in facilitating variance of the encodingbitrate (both positive and negative) based on factors, such as networkbandwidth, client computing device utilization, quality demands, and thelike. In addition to the association of the encoding bitrate, videosegments can be further defined by associating the encoding bitrate withthe encoding format utilized by the encoder to generate the outputstream. The encoding format can correspond to a content representationformat for storage or transmission of video content (such as in a datafile or bitstream). Examples of encoding formats include but not limitedto the motion pictures expert group (“MPEG) MPEG-2 Part 2, MPEG-4 Part2, H.264 (MPEG-4 Part 10), H.265 high efficiency video coding (“HEVC”),Theora, RealVideo RV40, VP9, and AOMedia Video 1 (“AV1”), and the like.

Traditionally, video packaging and origination services can maintain asingle ingress node to receive individual content streams or channelscorresponding to encoded segments encoded to a specific encoding profile(e.g., encoding bitrate and format). A single ingress node can utilizestate information that facilitates determination that all encodingversions of the same encoded segment have been received. However, thethroughput of incoming data streams is limited by characteristics of thesingle ingress node. For example, an ingress node may experiencelatencies associated with processing more complex encoded content. Insuch situation, a video packaging and origination service couldexperience additional inefficiencies by limiting the ability of thevideo packaging and origination service to process additional encodingchannels related to other encoding profiles until the current encodeddata is processed.

To address at least a portion of the inefficiencies described above withregard to single ingress nodes, aspects of the present applicationcorresponding to a multi-ingress node system for receiving andprocessing encoder streams. More specifically, aspects of the presentapplication correspond to utilization of synchronization information toallow a video packaging and origination service to utilize a pluralityof ingress nodes that an independently process encoded content segments.Individual content streams can correspond to encoding of a common orsame content segment according to a different encoding profile, such asa different combination of encoding bitrate and format. For example, inembodiments supporting variable bit rate encoding, a content providermay be requested to provide different encoded versions of each contentsegment based on the content profiles (e.g., encoding bitrate and formatcombination) identified in a content manifest.

Using the synchronization information, individual ingress nodes withinthe video packaging and origination service process the received encodedsegments and generate deterministic data identifying the receivedencoded segment. Illustratively, the deterministic data can includeencoder timestamps, segment sequence numbers, and timing informationregarding operation of the encoder. The deterministic data allows theidentification of a common encoded segment amongst all the receivedencoded segments and be stored as meta-data. As individual ingress nodesprocess incoming data, the video packaging and origination service canutilize the deterministic data/meta-data to identify all common encodedsegments and determine whether all the requested encoded versions (e.g.,by encoding profile) have been processed. If so, the particular encodedsegment is ready for storage or transmission to user devices.

By allowing the utilization of a plurality of ingress nodes, aspects ofthe present application facilitate parallel process of differentincoming content streams without requiring the need for sharing of statedata by the plurality of ingress nodes. Each incoming content streamcorresponding to a different encoding profile can be processed by adifferent or the same ingress nodes without a need to determine where adifferent version of the same content stream has been previouslyprocessed. Additionally, in situations in which a particular ingressnode experiences some latency, additional content streams can beprocessed in concurrently to facilitate faster availability of streamingcontent to users.

FIG. 1 illustrates a general content delivery environment 100 fordelivering content from original content providers to user devices. Thecontent delivery environment 100 includes a plurality of devices 102utilized by individual users, generally referred to as client computingdevices, to request streaming or download content from a video packagingand origination service 120. Illustratively, the video packaging andorigination service 120 indexes a collection of source video content(either live streaming or file-based video-on-demand) and delivers it toclients via a wide range of communication protocols such as HTTP LiveStreaming (“HLS”), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (“DASH”), HTTPDynamic Streaming (“HDS”), Real Time Messaging Protocol (“RTMP”), SmoothStreaming, and the like. Based on consumer demand, a video packaging andorigination service can also provide advanced video transmissionfeatures such as just-in-time packaging of video content, digital rightsmanagement (“DRM”) encryption, time-shifting, bitrate selection, catchup TV, and more. The content can be illustratively provided by one ormore origin sources, such as original content provider 130.

Client computing devices 102 may include any number of differentcomputing devices capable of communicating with the networks 140, 150,160, via a direct connection or via an intermediary. For example,individual accessing computing devices may correspond to a laptop ortablet computer, personal computer, wearable computer, server, personaldigital assistant (PDA), hybrid PDA/mobile phone, mobile phone,electronic book reader, set-top box, camera, appliance (thermostat orrefrigerator), controller, digital media player, watch, eyewear, a homeor car device, Internet of Things (“IoT”) devices, virtual reality oraugmented reality devices, and the like. Each client computing device102 may optionally include one or more data stores (not shown in FIG. 1)including various applications or computer-executable instructions, suchas web browsers, used to implement the embodiments disclosed herein.Illustrative components of a client computing device 102 will bedescribed with regard to FIG. 2.

In some embodiments, a CDN service provider may include multiple edgelocations from which a user device can retrieve content. Individual edgelocation 112 may be referred to herein as a point of presence (“POP”),where a POP is intended to refer to any collection of related computingdevices utilized to implement functionality on behalf of one or manyproviders. POPs are generally associated with a specific geographiclocation in which the computing devices implementing the POP arelocated, or with a region serviced by the POP. As illustrated in FIG. 1,the POP 110 can include one or more metric information processingcomponent 114 for processing metric information provided by clientcomputing devices 102 and a data store 116 for maintain collected metricinformation. For example, a data center or a collection of computingdevices within a data center may form a POP. In some instances, the POPsmay implement one or more services, such as CDN services, data storageservices, data processing services, etc. The CDN service provider 110may include multiple POPs located in different geographic locations sothat user devices can communicate with a nearby a POP to retrievecontent, thereby reducing the latency of delivering requested content.

Networks 140, 150, 160 may be any wired network, wireless network, orcombination thereof. In addition, the networks 140, 150, 160 may be apersonal area network, local area network, wide area network, cablenetwork, fiber network, satellite network, cellular telephone network,data network, or combination thereof. In the example environment of FIG.1, network 140 is a global area network (GAN), such as the Internet.Protocols and components for communicating via the other aforementionedtypes of communication networks are well known to those skilled in theart of computer communications and thus, need not be described in moredetail herein. While each of the client computing devices 102 and videopackaging and origination service 110 are depicted as having a singleconnection to the network 140, individual components of the clientcomputing devices 102 and video packaging and origination service 110may be connected to the network 130 at disparate points. Accordingly,communication times and capabilities may vary between the components ofFIG. 1. Likewise, although FIG. 1 is illustrated as having threeseparate networks 140, 150, 160, one skilled in the relevant art willappreciate that the video packaging and origination service 110 mayutilize any number or combination of networks.

In accordance with embodiments, the video packaging and originationservice 120 includes one or more servers for receiving content fromoriginal content providers 130 and processing the content to makeavailable a set of received encoded bitrate segments. As described infurther detail below, the video packaging and origination service 120includes a plurality of ingress components 122 utilized to receiveencoded data streams from encoders encoding servers 132 from theoriginal content providers 130. As will be explain in greater detailbelow, the ingress components can generate deterministic data that willfacilitate a determination of when a complete set of encoded version ofa content segment has been received and is ready for further processingor transmission.

The video packaging and origination service 120 can further includesynchronization services 124 for generating synchronization informationutilized by the encoders, such as sequence numbers corresponding to theset of encoded segments, time stamp information related to a relativetime of the encoded segments or from which relative time of encodedsegments will be based, and the like. As described above, thesynchronization information can be utilized in the generation ofdeterministic data for purposes of determining when a content requesthas been fully completed. The video packaging and origination service120 can further include a data store 126 for maintaining receivedencoded data for transmission.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the videopackaging and origination service 120 may have fewer or greatercomponents than are illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, the depiction of thevideo packaging and origination service 120 in FIG. 1 should be taken asillustrative. For example, in some embodiments, components of the videopackaging and origination service 120 may be executed by one morevirtual machines implemented in a hosted computing environment. A hostedcomputing environment may include one or more rapidly provisioned andreleased computing resources, which computing resources may includecomputing, networking or storage devices. In another example, the videopackaging and origination service 120 can include one or more egresscomponents that can utilize the content received and processed from theingress component 122 and further process the content for transmissionto user devices 102. Such egress components may be implemented inconjunction with the ingress component 122, such as in a transcodingnode. In other embodiments, the egress components may be implemented andmanaged independently of the ingress components 122, such as in separatestand-alone computing devices.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the content delivery environment 100also includes original content providers 130. Illustratively, theoriginal content provider can include a plurality of encoders 132 forgenerating multiple encoded streams for transmission to the videopackaging and origination service 120. In one embodiment, individualencoders may generate different encode versions of a content segmentaccording to a different encoding profile. The original content provider130 can also include logic or other management components fordetermining how many encoders 132 should be utilized or how to managethe addition or removal of encoders. In some embodiments, the originalcontent provider the original content provider 130 can further includesynchronization services 136 for generating synchronization informationutilized by the encoders, such as sequence numbers corresponding to theset of encoded segments, time stamp information related to a relativetime of the encoded segments or from which relative time of encodedsegments will be based, and the like. The video packaging andorigination service 120 can further include a data store 134 formaintaining encoded data for transmission. The synchronization services124 and 136 may work in conjunction or in a complimentary basis.

FIG. 2 depicts one embodiment of an architecture of an illustrative usercomputing device 102 that can generate content requests and processmetric information in accordance with the present application. Thegeneral architecture of the user computing device 102 depicted in FIG. 2includes an arrangement of computer hardware and software componentsthat may be used to implement aspects of the present disclosure. Asillustrated, the user computing device 104 includes a processing unit204, a network interface 206, an input/output device interface 209, anoptional display 202, and an input device 224, all of which maycommunicate with one another by way of a communication bus.

The network interface 206 may provide connectivity to one or morenetworks or computing systems, such as the network 140 of FIG. 1 and thevideo packaging and origination service 120 or the original contentproviders 130. The processing unit 204 may thus receive information andinstructions from other computing systems or services via a network. Theprocessing unit 204 may also communicate to and from memory 210 andfurther provide output information for an optional display 202 via theinput/output device interface 209. The input/output device interface 209may also accept input from the optional input device 224, such as akeyboard, mouse, digital pen, etc. In some embodiments, the usercomputing device 102 may include more (or fewer) components than thoseshown in FIG. 2.

The memory 210 may include computer program instructions that theprocessing unit 204 executes in order to implement one or moreembodiments. The memory 210 generally includes RAM, ROM, or otherpersistent or non-transitory memory. The memory 210 may store anoperating system 214 that provides computer program instructions for useby the processing unit 204 in the general administration and operationof the user computing device 102. The memory 210 may further includecomputer program instructions and other information for implementingaspects of the present disclosure. For example, in one embodiment, thememory 210 includes a network application 216, such as browserapplication or media player, for accessing content and communicatingwith the video packaging and origination service 120.

FIG. 3 depicts one embodiment of an architecture of an illustrativeserver for encoding content as described herein. The generalarchitecture of the encoder 132 depicted in FIG. 3 includes anarrangement of computer hardware and software components that may beused to implement aspects of the present disclosure. As illustrated, theencoder 132 includes a processing unit 304, a network interface 306, acomputer readable medium drive 308, an input/output device interface309, all of which may communicate with one another by way of acommunication bus. The components of the encoder 132 may be physicalhardware components or implemented in a virtualized environment.

The network interface 306 may provide connectivity to one or morenetworks or computing systems, such as the network 150 or network 160 ofFIG. 1. The processing unit 304 may thus receive information andinstructions from other computing systems or services via a network. Theprocessing unit 304 may also communicate to and from memory 310 andfurther provide output information for an optional display via theinput/output device interface 309. In some embodiments, the encoder 132may include more (or fewer) components than those shown in FIG. 3.

The memory 310 may include computer program instructions that theprocessing unit 304 executes in order to implement one or moreembodiments. The memory 310 generally includes RAM, ROM, or otherpersistent or non-transitory memory. The memory 310 may store anoperating system 314 that provides computer program instructions for useby the processing unit 304 in the general administration and operationof the video packaging and origination service 120. The memory 310 mayfurther include computer program instructions and other information forimplementing aspects of the present disclosure. For example, in oneembodiment, the memory 310 includes interface software 312 for receivingand processing content requests from the video packaging and originationservices 102.

Additionally, the memory 310 includes an encoder component 316 forprocessing content segments. Additionally, the encoder component 316 canfurther include a synchronization parameter component 318 for utilizingthe synchronization information in the encoding process to increase thelikelihood that encoded segments from multiple encoders can be utilizedby a video packaging and origination service 120. The synchronizationinformation can be utilized in the generation of deterministic data aswill be described below.

FIG. 4 depicts one embodiment of an architecture of an illustrativeserver for functioning as an ingress component 122 as described herein.As described above, the video packaging and origination service 120includes multiple ingress components 122 (or nodes) that facilitateintake of encoded segments that have been encoded according to differentencoding profiles. The general architecture of the ingress component 122depicted in FIG. 4 includes an arrangement of computer hardware andsoftware components that may be used to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated, the ingress component 122 includes aprocessing unit 404, a network interface 406, a computer readable mediumdrive 408, an input/output device interface 409, all of which maycommunicate with one another by way of a communication bus. Thecomponents of the ingress component 122 may be physical hardwarecomponents or implemented in a virtualized environment.

The network interface 406 may provide connectivity to one or morenetworks or computing systems, such as the network 150 or network 160 ofFIG. 1. The processing unit 404 may thus receive information andinstructions from other computing systems or services via a network. Theprocessing unit 404 may also communicate to and from memory 410 andfurther provide output information for an optional display via theinput/output device interface 409. In some embodiments, the ingresscomponent 122 may include more (or fewer) components than those shown inFIG. 4.

The memory 410 may include computer program instructions that theprocessing unit 404 executes in order to implement one or moreembodiments. The memory 410 generally includes RAM, ROM, or otherpersistent or non-transitory memory. The memory 410 may store anoperating system 414 that provides computer program instructions for useby the processing unit 404 in the general administration and operationof the ingress node. The memory 410 may further include computer programinstructions and other information for implementing aspects of thepresent disclosure. For example, in one embodiment, the memory 410includes interface software 412 for receiving and processing contentfrom encoders 132. Additionally, the memory 410 includes an encoderprocessing application 416 for processing incoming encoded contentsegments. Additionally, the ingress component 122 can further include asynchronization parameter component 418 for utilizing thesynchronization information to generate the deterministic information asdescribed above.

Turning now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, an illustrative interaction for theprocessing of content requests will be described.

At (1), the video packaging and origination service 120 can transmitsynchronization information to the original content provider 130.Illustratively, the synchronization information is utilized by multipleencoders 132 to allow encoded segments from multiple encoders to becombined seamlessly or substantially seamlessly. For example, thesynchronization information can include timestamp information related toa relative timestamp of individual encoded segments in the set ofencoded segments. In another example, the synchronization informationcan include sequence numbers for the individual segments. In anotherexample, the synchronization information can include a time of operationor other time elapsed information. The synchronization information isincorporated into the encoded segments and then utilized by the videopackaging and origination service 120 to assemble the set of orderedsegments, remove duplicates and identifying missing encoded segments.Although FIG. 5A illustrates the transmission of the synchronizationinformation from the video packaging and origination service 120, insome embodiments, synchronization information may not be transmitted bythe video packaging and origination service 120 and this interactionwould be omitted altogether.

Illustratively, the content stream data may be transmitted by theoriginal content provider 130 responsive to a request from a user device102, a request from the video packaging and origination service 120, orother request/trigger. Illustratively, the encoded content cancorrespond to a set of encoded profiles corresponding to the encodingbitrate and format combinations that may be made available to users. Forexample, the video packaging and origination service 120 may provide arequesting user device 102 with a set of encoding bitrate and formatcombinations in order to support adaptive bitrate streaming.Accordingly, the request from the original content provider may transmitthe set of identified encoding bitrates and formats or individualencoding bitrate and format combinations to supplement previouslyreceive encoded segments. One skilled in the relevant art willappreciate that the transmission of the request or the identification ofrequested encoded segments (including format) can be facilitated in anumber of ways.

At (2), the receiving original content provider 130 determines thenumber of encoders that will be utilized to generate the requestedencoded content streams. Illustratively, the determination the number ofencoders will generally corresponding to a plurality of encoders thatgenerate encoded content streams for identified requested content andincorporating synchronization information. In one embodiment, thedetermination of the number of encoders can be based on the complexityof the encoded bitrate and formation combination, available encoderresources, an attributable cost associated with the generated encodedcontent segments, preferences or service levels associated with thevideo packaging and origination service 120, network conditions (e.g.,available bandwidth, network throughput, error rates), demand from usersdevices (e.g., total number of requests or frequencies of requests), andthe like. At (3), the original content provider 130 causes one or moreencoders to generate encoded streams based on synchronizationinformation. As described above, the video packaging and originationservice 120 may provide the synchronization information. In anotherembodiment, the original content provider 130 can utilize self-providingsynchronization, information provided by a third-party service or acombination. Illustratively, the original content provider can providemultiple encoder streams that can correspond to individual contentstreams corresponding to the different requested encoding profiles. Forexample, a first content stream can correspond to a first encodingbitrate and format (e.g., a first encoding profile) and a second contentstream can correspond to a second encoding bitrate and format that isdifferent. The encoding streams may be provided by different encoders asillustrated in FIG. 5A as encoder components 132A and 132B.

The video packaging and origination service 120 receives the pluralityof incoming encoded content streams from the encoders. Morespecifically, at (4), a first ingress component is determined. By way ofexample, a first ingress component, such as ingress component 122A, ofthe video packaging and origination service 120 receives and processesthe encoded segments from a first received stream. Such an ingresscomponent 122 may be selected by various factors, such as geographicproximity to the original content provider, available processingresources, types or characterizations of the streaming content, originalcontent provider specifications, video packaging and origination servicespecifications, and the like.

At (5), the ingress component 122A of the video packaging andorigination service 120 processes the received encoded segments togenerate deterministic data. Illustratively, the deterministic data caninclude timestamp information related to a time of play of the set ofencoded segments, sequence number identifying an order of the encodedcontent segment in the set of encoded segments, a time of operation ofthe encoder and the like. The deterministic data will be illustrativelyutilized to identify a same content segment or matching content segmentsthat have been encoded according to different encoding profiles andreceived at different ingress components. For example, four contentsegments sharing a common timestamp of play but encoded according to thedifferent encoding profiles can be considered to be the same contentsegment. Still further, in some embodiments, the ingress component 122Agenerates the deterministic data as a set of meta-data utilized toaccess and generate outgoing content streams. In another example, theingress component 122A can conduct quality or error checking that can beincluded in meta-data.

At (6) the video packaging and origination service 120 performs adetermination if encoded segments determined to be matching correspondto all the requested encoded profiles. For example, to enable variablebitrate encoding, the content request may request encoded contentsegments according to five different encoding profiles. Accordingly, thevideo packaging and origination service 120 could determine via thedeterministic information whether there are five matching segmentscovering the five requested encoding profiles. For purposes ofillustration, FIG. 5A illustrates when the segment determinationindicates that all the encoded segments have not been received and theencoded segment is not ready for transmission to the client.

Turning now to FIG. 5B, a subsequent interaction and processing onencoded segments will be described. The interactions illustrated in FIG.5B are based interaction after the initial transmission of multipleencoded segment stream transmission has begun. At (1), the originalcontent provider 130 selects or causes one or more encoders to generateencoded streams based on synchronization information or continue togenerate additional encoded content streams. As described above, thevideo packaging and origination service 120 may provide thesynchronization information. In another embodiment, the original contentprovider 130 can utilize self-providing synchronization, informationprovided by a third-party service or a combination. Illustratively, theoriginal content provider can provide multiple encoder streams that cancorrespond to individual content streams corresponding to the differentrequested encoding profiles. For example, a first content stream cancorrespond to a first encoding bitrate and format (e.g., a firstencoding profile) and a second content stream can correspond to a secondencoding bitrate and format that is different. The encoding streams maybe provided by different encoders, such as encoders 132A and 132B.

The video packaging and origination service 120 receives the pluralityof incoming encoded content streams from the encoders. Morespecifically, at (2), a second ingress component, such as ingresscomponent 122B, of the video packaging and origination service 120receives and processes the encoded segments from a second or subsequentreceived stream. In one embodiment, the subsequent processing of thesecond content stream may occur in parallel to the processing of thefirst content stream. For example, the processing of the first contentstream by ingress component 122A (FIG. 5A) may experience a latency.

At (3), the ingress component 122B of the video packaging andorigination service 120 processes the received encoded segments togenerate deterministic data. Illustratively, the deterministic data caninclude timestamp information related to a time of play of the set ofencoded segments, sequence number identifying an order of the encodedcontent segment in the set of encoded segments, a time of operation ofthe encoder and the like. The deterministic data will be illustrativelyutilized to identify a same content segment or matching content segmentsthat have been encoded according to different encoding profiles andreceived at different ingress components. For example, four contentsegments sharing a common timestamp of play but encoded according to thedifferent encoding profiles can be considered to be the same contentsegment.

At (5), the video packaging and origination service 120 performs adetermination if encoded segments determined to be matching correspondto all the requested encoded profiles. For example, to enable variablebitrate encoding, the content request may request encoded contentsegments according to five different encoding profiles. Accordingly, thevideo packaging and origination service 120 could determine via thedeterministic information whether there are five matching segmentscovering the five requested encoding profiles. For purposes ofillustration, FIG. 5B illustrates when the segment determinationindicates that all the encoded segments have been received and theencoded segment is not ready for transmission to the client.Accordingly, at (6), the video packaging and origination service 120creates a segment output of all the processed encoded segments, whichcan include writing to storage or indicating to an egress node thattransmission can begin.

Turning now to FIG. 6, a routine 600 utilized by the video packaging andorigination service 120 to receive and process multiple encoder streamswill be described. Routine 600 may be illustratively implemented by aningress component 122.

At block 602, the video packaging and origination service 120 canoptionally transmit synchronization information to the original contentprovider 130. Illustratively, the synchronization information isutilized by multiple encoders 132 to allow encoded segments frommultiple encoders to be combined seamlessly or substantially seamlessly.For example, the synchronization information can include timestampinformation related to a relative timestamp of individual encodedsegments in the set of encoded segments. In another example, thesynchronization information can include sequence numbers for theindividual segments. In another example, the synchronization informationcan include a time of operation or other time elapsed information. Thesynchronization information is incorporated into the encoded segmentsand then utilized by the video packaging and origination service 120 toassemble the set of ordered segments, remove duplicates and identifyingmissing encoded segments. In embodiments in which the video packagingand origination service 120 does not transmit synchronizationinformation, such as if the original content provider 130 or otherservice provides the synchronization information, block 604 may beomitted.

Responsive to a request or trigger, as described above, the originalcontent provider 130 begins transmitting a plurality of encoded contentstreams to the video packaging and origination service 120 andincorporating received/accessed synchronization information. In someembodiments, the encoders 132B and 132A, may be configured to transmitdifferent content streams corresponding to a common encoded segment orset of segments encoded according to different encoding profiles. Atblock 604, the video packaging and origination service 120 receives theplurality of incoming encoded content streams from the encoders.Illustratively, the designation of a specific ingress component 122 maybe based on algorithms incorporating geographic or network information,random selection, weighted selection, load balancing, client specifiedinformation, encoding format, and the like. For example, the videopackaging and origination service 120 may maintain ingress components122 that have been optimized to receive different encoding profiles. Inanother example, the video packaging and origination service 120 canutilize load balancing to determine which ingress component 122 isbetter suited to receive an incoming stream at the time it is received.Other variations are also possible.

At block 606, the video packaging and origination service 120 processesthe received encoded segments. For example, the video packaging andorigination service 120 can be adjustments or error correction for anyof the selected encoded segments. In other embodiment, if thesynchronization information does not ensure perfectly compatible encodedsegments, the video packaging and origination service 120 canextrapolate additional segments or portions to facilitate combination.Still further, in some embodiments, the ingress component 122 of thevideo packaging and origination service 120 generates deterministic dataincluded in a set of meta-data utilized to access and generate outgoingcontent streams. Illustratively, the deterministic data can includetimestamp information related to a time of play of the set of encodedsegments, sequence number identifying an order of the encoded contentsegment in the set of encoded segments, a time of operation of theencoder and the like. In another example, the ingress component 122 orcontent management service 126 can conduct quality or error checkingthat can be included in meta-data.

At decision block 608, a determination is made as to whether additionalencoder segments streams still need to be received. As described above,the video packaging and origination service 120 performs a determinationif encoded segments determined to be matching correspond to all therequested encoded profiles. For example, to enable variable bitrateencoding, the content request may request encoded content segmentsaccording to five different encoding profiles. Accordingly, the videopackaging and origination service 120 could determine via thedeterministic information whether there are five matching segmentscovering the five requested encoding profiles. If additional encodedsegments remain unreceived or not fully processed, the routine 600returns to block 604 to receive the additional encoder streams. If not,the routine 600 proceeds to block 610.

At block 610, the video packaging and origination service 120 stores thecumulative set of encoded segments for delivery to user devices 102. Asdescribed above, the video packaging and origination service 120 canalso associate or store meta-data associated with the segments.Alternatively, the video packaging and origination service 120 can alsointeract with egress nodes or generate a notification that the collectedcontent is ready for transmission. Routine 600 terminates at block 612or starts a new iteration of routine 600.

All of the methods and tasks described herein may be performed and fullyautomated by a computer system. The computer system may, in some cases,include multiple distinct computers or computing devices (e.g., physicalservers, workstations, storage arrays, cloud computing resources, etc.)that communicate and interoperate over a network to perform thedescribed functions. Each such computing device typically includes aprocessor (or multiple processors) that executes program instructions ormodules stored in a memory or other non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium or device (e.g., solid state storage devices, diskdrives, etc.). The various functions disclosed herein may be embodied insuch program instructions, or may be implemented in application-specificcircuitry (e.g., ASICs or FPGAs) of the computer system. Where thecomputer system includes multiple computing devices, these devices may,but need not, be co-located. The results of the disclosed methods andtasks may be persistently stored by transforming physical storagedevices, such as solid state memory chips or magnetic disks, into adifferent state. In some embodiments, the computer system may be acloud-based computing system whose processing resources are shared bymultiple distinct business entities or other users.

Depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or functions of anyof the processes or algorithms described herein can be performed in adifferent sequence, can be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g.,not all described operations or events are necessary for the practice ofthe algorithm). Moreover, in certain embodiments, operations or eventscan be performed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or onother parallel architectures, rather than sequentially.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, routines, andalgorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein can be implemented as electronic hardware (e.g., ASICs or FPGAdevices), computer software that runs on computer hardware, orcombinations of both. Moreover, the various illustrative logical blocksand modules described in connection with the embodiments disclosedherein can be implemented or performed by a machine, such as a processordevice, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) orother programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed toperform the functions described herein. A processor device can be amicroprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor device can be acontroller, microcontroller, or state machine, combinations of the same,or the like. A processor device can include electrical circuitryconfigured to process computer-executable instructions. In anotherembodiment, a processor device includes an FPGA or other programmabledevice that performs logic operations without processingcomputer-executable instructions. A processor device can also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration. Although described herein primarily with respect todigital technology, a processor device may also include primarily analogcomponents. For example, some or all of the rendering techniquesdescribed herein may be implemented in analog circuitry or mixed analogand digital circuitry. A computing environment can include any type ofcomputer system, including, but not limited to, a computer system basedon a microprocessor, a mainframe computer, a digital signal processor, aportable computing device, a device controller, or a computationalengine within an appliance, to name a few.

The elements of a method, process, routine, or algorithm described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodieddirectly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processordevice, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside inRAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory,registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium. An exemplary storagemedium can be coupled to the processor device such that the processordevice can read information from, and write information to, the storagemedium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to theprocessor device. The processor device and the storage medium can residein an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative,the processor device and the storage medium can reside as discretecomponents in a user terminal.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “could,”“might,” “may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically statedotherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, isgenerally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, whileother embodiments do not include, certain features, elements or steps.Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply thatfeatures, elements or steps are in any way required for one or moreembodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logicfor deciding, with or without other input or prompting, whether thesefeatures, elements or steps are included or are to be performed in anyparticular embodiment. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,”and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-endedfashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts,operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusivesense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example,to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all ofthe elements in the list.

Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may beeither X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, or Z). Thus,such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not,imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least oneof Y, and at least one of Z to each be present.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features as applied to various embodiments, it can beunderstood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in theform and details of the devices or algorithms illustrated can be madewithout departing from the spirit of the disclosure. As can berecognized, certain embodiments described herein can be embodied withina form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forthherein, as some features can be used or practiced separately fromothers. The scope of certain embodiments disclosed herein is indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. A system to manage streaming content comprising: one or more computing devices associated with a content management system, wherein the content management system is configured to: transmit a request for streaming content encoded according to a plurality of encoding profiles that includes a first encoding profile and a second encoding profile, wherein the streaming content is organized into a set of segments associated with the encoding profiles; one or more computing devices associated with a first ingress component wherein the first ingress component is configured to: obtain at a first ingress node a first set of segments encoded according to the first encoding profile; and identify deterministic data associated with the first set of segments; one or more computing devices associated with a second ingress component wherein the second ingress component is configured to: obtain at a second ingress node a second set of segments encoded according to the second encoding profile, the first ingress node different from the second ingress node, the first encoding profile different from the second encoding profile; and identify deterministic data associated with the second set of segments; wherein the content management system is further configured to designate streaming content availability for transmission to user devices based on a determination that the deterministic data for the first and second sets of segments indicates that the first and second sets of segments comprise same content segments that have been encoded according to different encoding profiles.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the deterministic data includes an encoder timestamp.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the deterministic data includes a sequence number in a set of sequence numbers corresponding to the requested content.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management system is further configured to delay designation of streaming content availability for transmission based on a determination that the deterministic data indicates that the first and second set of segments are not same content segments.
 5. A computer-implemented method to manage transmission of content comprising: obtaining a first encoded segment at a first ingress node, the first encoded segment encoded according to a first encoding profile and corresponding to a first segment in a set of segments; obtaining a second encoded segment at a second ingress node, the second encoded segment encoded according to a second encoding profile and corresponding to the first segment in the set of segments, the first ingress node different from the second ingress node, the first encoding profile different from the second encoding profile; and determining a request for streaming content is complete based on a comparison of deterministic data associated with at least the first and second encoded segments, the comparison indicating that the first and second sets of segments comprise same content segments that have been encoded according to different encoding profiles.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising identifying synchronization information for utilization in obtaining the first and second encoded segments.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 further comprising transmitting a request for synchronization information for utilization in the first and second segments of the set of segments.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the deterministic data includes an encoder timestamp.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the deterministic data includes a sequence number associated with the set of segments.
 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 further comprising obtaining a third encoded segment at a third ingress node, the third encoded segment encoded according to a third encoding profile and corresponding to the first segment in the set of segments.
 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising determining the request for streaming content is complete based on a comparison of deterministic data associated with at least the first and second encoded segments includes determining the request for streaming content is complete based on a comparison of deterministic data associated with at least the first, second, and third encoded segments.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first encoding profile and the second encoding profile correspond to different encoding bitrates.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first encoding profile and the second encoding profile correspond to different encoding formats.
 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 further comprising causing a transmission of the first and second encoded segments responsive to determining the request for streaming content is complete based on the comparison of the deterministic data associated with at least the first and second encoded segments.
 15. A computer-implemented method to manage transmission of content comprising: obtaining a set of encoded segments corresponding to an identifiable segment in the set of segments by at least two ingress nodes, wherein individual encoded segments are encoded according to one of a plurality of encoding profiles; and causing transmission of a set of encoded segments corresponding to the set of encoded segments based on data from the at least two ingress nodes indicating the set of encoded segments corresponds to segments corresponding to the identifiable segment that has been encoded according to the plurality of encoding profiles.
 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 further comprising obtaining synchronization information for utilization by the at least two ingress nodes.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the data from the at least two ingress nodes correspond to data indicative of a timestamp or segment sequence number.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of encoding profiles correspond to one of an encoding bitrate or format.
 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 further comprising delaying transmission of the set of encoded segments based on data indicating at least one encoded segment encoded to one of the plurality of encoding profiles has not been processed by the at least two ingress nodes.
 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising storing the set of encoded segments. 